Car-fender.



PATEN'TED JULY 5, 1904.

I. TODD.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP TODD, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,317, dated July 5,1904.

Application filed April 12, 1904. f

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILIP ToDD, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Homestead, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGar-Fenders, of which the following is a specification, refcrence beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to car-fenders, and has for its object theprovision of a fender of novel construction so arranged that it may bedepressed from its normal position, which is on a horizontal linesomewhat above the rails, to a position at an acute angle to the railsand with its front edge in immediate proximity thereto.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide a substantiallyrectangular frame which incloses a suitable network, and I pivotallyattach this frame to a portion of the runninggear of the car, and Iconnect the frame to a spring-pressed lever that is pivoted to thebottom of the car and that is moved by a pin projecting through a holein the platform of the car in such position that it may be depressed bythe foot of the driver. By this means I provide for the movement of thefender to lower it and bring it close to the rails, which means isoperable by the motorman without removing his hands from thebrake-handles and controller, it being only necessary for the motormanwhen the fender is to be depressed to place his foot on the pin which,as before stated, projects through the platform of the car.

My invention consists in the novel construction, combination, andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewthrough the end and platform of a car having my improvement appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the fender, and Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view of the front end and platform of a car, showinga modified form of my improvement applied thereto.

The car is mounted on wheels 1, which are journaled in bearings 2,carried by the bar 3 The bottom 4: of the car is of the truck.

Serial No. 202,740. (No model.)

mounted on the truck 3, and said bottom is projected to form theplatform 5, which latter is provided with the usual dashboard 6, theseparts, so far described, beingof the usual or any desired construction.

. The fender is composed of the frame 7,which is of rectangular or anyother suitable con figuration, and the side bars of said frame arecurved upwardly, as indicated at 8, and pivotally secured at 9 to thetruck 3.

A lever 10 is fulcrumed at 11 to a crossbeam 12 on the bottom of thecar, and a pin 13, which has a head 14, projects through a hole 15 inthe platform 5 and bears on the outer end of the lever 10, the lower endof said pin resting in a notch 16 formed in the said lever. The lever 10is connected by a ring 17 to a cross-bar 18, and the said crossbar hassecured to each of its ends, by means of nuts 19 19, downwardlydepcnding bolts 20 20, which have pierced heads 21 21, that are securedto clips 22 22, carried by the frame 7 by bolts 23 23. Hangers 24 24:are attached to the bottom of the car and have inwardlyturned lower ends25 25, which are pierced for the passage of the bolts 20 20, and nuts 2626 are screwed upon the bolts 20 20, and when the parts are in theirnormal position these nuts bear against the inwardly-turned ends of thehangers 24 24 and serve to limit the upward movement of the bolts.Spiral springs 27 27 are interposed between the inwardlyturned ends 25of the hangers 21 and the nuts 10, and these springs serve to impel theerossbar 18 upwardly. The frame 7 is suitably braced by cross-rods 2829, and anetting 30is secured within the frame, extending from the frontedge thereof to the cross-rod 29, and said netting being composed ofinterwoven wires or othersuitable material. In the modified form shownin Fig. 3, in which those parts corresponding to the parts shown in Fig.1 are designated by like numerals, the hangers 24, in addition to theinwardly-tnrned ends 25, are formed with cars 31, and a set-screw 32passes through the inwardly-turned end 25, while a similar screw 33passes through the car 31, these screws being in vertical alinement withthe sides of the frame 7 and serving to limit the vertical movement ofthe frame in an upthe tracks.

ward and downward direction. In this form of my improvement the link 17is connected to a cross-bar 34 of the frame 7, and springs 35 areconnected to ears 36 on the front edges of the hangers 2 1 by means of abolt 37 and nuts 38. Under normal conditions the fender is sustained bythe spiral springs in a position substantially parallel with the roadwayor with the railway-track 39, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thisposition of parts allowing the fender to pass over any small inanimateobject that may lie upon the roadway between Vhen the motorman findsthat he is in such proximity to a person crossing the tracks that thereis danger of striking such person, he puts his foot on the head 14 ofthe pin 13 and bears down forcibly upon the same, and thereby depressesthe outer end of the lever 10. The depression of the lever forces thebar 18 and the bolts downwardly and, overcoming the resiliency of thesprings 27 27, causes the front edge of the frame 7 to be depressed intoimmediate proximity or, if desired, into actual contact with the surfaceof the tracks, thereby substantially preventing the person when struckby the fender from passing under the same.

Having described my invention, I clairn 1. The combination with a car,of a fender pivotally secured at one end of said car, bolts secured tothe fender in front of the pivotal point, a cross-bar secured to sa1dbolts, springs arranged to sustain the fender 1n elevated po sition, alever connected to said cross-bar, and i a pin projecting through theplatform of the car and bearing upon the said lever.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with acar-bod y and runninggear, of a fender-frame having upturned rear endspivotally attached to the running-gear, a network secured within saidframe, stirrups depending from the bottom of the car and having inturnedends, bolts attached to the fender-frame and passing through saidinturned ends, nuts arranged on said bolts to limit the upward movementof the same, a cross-bar attached to the upper ends of said bolts,springs arranged between the inturned ends of the stirrups and saidcross-bar, a lever pivotally attached at one end to the bottom of thecar, a link connected to said lever andsaid crossbar, and a pin passingthrough a hole in the platform of the car and bearing on said lever.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

PHILIP TODD.

WVitnesses:

H. C. EVERT, E. E. POTTER.

